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MHG66286 - Shieling hut - Meall Dearg

Summary

This sub-circular feature occupies the top of a prominent grassy mound.

Type and Period (1)

Protected Status

Full Description

Depopulation. A group of six huts with earth and stone walls, 1 ft in maximum height, set on low, grassy mounds about 150 yds N of the shore of the loch. Two are round, 7 ft and 10 ft in diameter, two are rectangular, 14 ft by 9 ft and 18 ft by 9 ft, one is oval 13 ft by 9 ft, and of the other only slight traces remain. Thirty yards to the S is a well-constructed oval hut, 18 ft by 10 ft with a wall 3 ft to 4 ft thick and stone protrusions on either side of the entrance, which is in the W wall. South of this, but the burn, is a hut 16 ft by 9 ft with an entrance in the E, and on the other side of the burn are the foundations of a possible hut, 20 ft by 8 ft, in the lee of a large rock. A second group of better-constructed huts, with walls up to 2 ft high, lies on mounds on the shore. One oval hut, 18 ft by 8 ft, and with an entrance in the SSE has traces of two more huts to the E and below. Two huts are rectangular, 20 ft by 8 ft, built into a mound, and 15 ft by 8 ft. There are traces of two huts by the shore.
T C Welsh 1969.

Centred on NC 240 586 are the earth or stone footings of at least 15 shielings, rectangular to oval in shape, and measuring from 4.0m by 3.0m to 6.0m by 4.0m. Some of the footings surmount turf-covered mounds, the residue of collapsed earlier shielings.
Surveyed at 1:10,000.
Visited by OS (J M) 30 May 1980.

Over an area of some 150m by 100m on the north side of the east end of Loch Cam Mharasaid is a well defined group of shieling-huts. This group is referred to in NMRS 4691, which contains entries from 1969 and 1980. The . former, by T.C. Walsh, mentions `14 or 15 shieling-huts'. Dimensions of 11 are given, and the others are described as `traces'. Walsh describes the whole group under his own sub-heading of `depopulation'. The later entry is by `JM' of the OS. This refers to `....the earth or stone footings of at least 15 shielings, rectangular to oval in shape, and measuring from 4.0m by 3.0m to 6.0m by 4.0m. Some of the footings surmount turf-covered mounds, the residue of collapsed earlier shielings. Surveyed at 1:10,000.'

The general interpretation favoured in this Report follows that of the OS. (Depopulation is not seen as an issue at this site; but for a site where it is relevant, see the comment below under 2.2(b), Feature 4). As regards numbers of shieling-huts, a total of 10 or 11 can still be discerned which are more than just traces, but it is considered unlikely that so many were in use at any one time. More probably the group was developed sequentially, with progressive abandonment of some of the earlier huts, possibly because of poor drainage.

Feature 2; This sub-circular feature occupies the top of a prominent grassy mound, on the E side of a small burn. The walls are 0.8m thick, now consisting of a single course of stones (typical max dimension 0.2-0.3m) standing to a height of 0.15m above the grassy central area. Dimensions are 2.6m N-S, 2.1m E-W. There is an entrance at the SE corner.<1>

NGR adjusted based on 1999-2001 vertical aerial photographs. <2>

Sources/Archives (3)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NC 2405 5861 (16m by 13m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NC25NW
Geographical Area	SUTHERLAND
Civil Parish	EDDRACHILLIS

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